Retirement Visa

Retirement Visa is applicable for the up 50-year-old aliens who propose to live in Thailand. The required documents are the financial statement of Saving Account or Fixed Deposit Account not less than 800,000 THB. or having salary not less than 65,000 THB. and also the total salary of 12 months is not less than 800,000 THB. to be used for the application at Royal Thai Police, Immigration Bureau. The permission of this Visa will be valid for 1 year. Moreover, the aliens with Multiple Non-Immigrant Visa don’t need to apply for Re-Entry Permit due to when you travel abroad, you will get the re-entry permit for 90 days. In case of any alien who propose to leave Thailand, Re-Entry Permit must be needed. Otherwise your Non-Immigrant Visa “B” will be not valid anymore. It would be changed into Tourist Visa or Transit Visa.

Divorce in Thailand: Ending a Marriage
Understand legal divorce in Thailand: who may get one, where and how, with an explanation of the simple divorce by mutual consent available to couples married in Thailand…

A divorce by mutual consent in Thailand is fairly easy to obtain; any other type of divorce can be more complicated.

Note: Divorce by mutual consent only applies if the couple married in Thailand. If they married outside Thailand they may apply for divorce in Thailand but have to go through the court system.
Divorce by Mutual Consent

An uncontested divorce can be obtained at the local District Office (khet/amphur). A divorce by mutual consent must be made in writing and certified with the signature of at least two witnesses and it must be registered with the relevant authorities.

The divorce documents and a summary on completing the form are available from the local District Office. All documents are in Thai.

There is no requirement to be accompanied by lawyer or have lawyer prepare the divorce documents. But having a lawyer may help explain things better.
Registering the divorce

Registration is made at the District Office. At most amphurs it is not possible to make an appointment, instead simply join the queue.

Take the following:

Completed written documents with two witness signatures
Photo identification for both parties
Passports for both parties
The marriage certificate

A small fee is charged.
Divorce by Judgment

A court will only grant a divorce by judgment on legal grounds. These grounds include:

Adultery
A spouse is guilty of misconduct that inflicts serious shame, insult or injury on their partner and cohabitation is no longer possible
A spouse has caused serious harm or torture to the body or mind of their partner, or has seriously insulted their parents
A spouse has deserted for longer one year
A spouse has disappeared
a spouse has failed to provide proper maintenance and support to their partner; cohabitation is no longer possible
A spouse suffering from serious mental illness for at least three years
A breach of the good behaviour bond
A spouse is suffering from a contagious and dangerous disease which is incurable and may cause injury to the other
A spouse has a physical handicap and is permanently unable to cohabit as husband and wife

A lawyer is needed to start filing proceedings for divorce.
Divorce Settlements

An arrangement must be made in the divorce settlement regarding the parental rights and contribution to the maintenance of involved children. If provisions are not included in the divorce agreement, the court will determine the provisions.

In a case of divorce on the grounds of adultery, compensation may be awarded to the innocent spouse. A spouse may claim for living allowance if the grounds for divorce were derived from the fault of only one spouse. However, this right is void when the party receiving the allowance remarries.
Property

Thailand falls under community property law, meaning any property acquired during marriage is considered shared or community property and any property acquired pre-marriage is not. This law is subject to some interpretation however. After divorce, the property of the husband and wife is subject to liquidation (unless otherwise agreed upon). Property owned on the date of the registration of the divorce or the date the divorce was filed in court is subject to liquidation. Any common property (sin somros) is divided equally between the man and the woman (unless otherwise agreed upon).
Prenuptial Agreements

Prenuptial agreements are becoming more and more common in Thailand. To be valid, a prenuptial agreement must be signed by both spouses as well as two witnesses and registered with the relevant authorities – the local District Office (khet/amphur) – at the time of marriage.

REQUIREMENT

This Type of visa is for a person who has a Thai wife/husband/child only

Non-Immigrant Visa-O (Thai Spouse)

A Non-immigrant visa is a visa issue to a person under the conditions of applying for a temporary stay in the Kingdom as follows:

• Performance official duties;
• Business;
• Investing under the concurrence of the Ministries and Departments concerned;
• Investing or other activities relating to investing subject to the Provisions of Law on Investment Promotion;
• Study or observation;
• Mass media;
• Missionary work under the concurrence of the Ministries and Departments concerned;
• Scientific research, training or teaching in a Research institute or institute in the Kingdom;
• The practice of skilled handicrafts or as a specialist;
• Other activities such as to perform duties or missions in the family of alien who entered to stay temporary in the Kingdom as the parents, spouse or child under patronage and being a part of the household of the said person; or to provide or received support from the person whose nationality is Thai or the alien who has been granted and has taken up permanent residence in the Kingdom as the parents, spouse or child under patronage and being a part of household of the said person;  or to perform duties for the state enterprises or social welfare organization.

Important Information regarding Non-Immigrant Visas

The Visa Section at the Royal Thai Consulate General in Chicago will be granting visas according to the PURPOSE of the applicant who will travel into the Kingdom of Thailand based on the rules and regulations set forth by the Immigration Bureau of Thailand and the authorities concerned. It must be understood that we will not issue a visa beyond the category which is appropriate to the purpose of the applicant’s travel to Thailand.

I. Conducting business (not including employment), the visa applicant must include with his or her visa application any such documentation the Consulate deems necessary for consideration of the visa application which includes the following:

• An original employment verification letter with the purpose of visit.
• An original letter of invitation on company letterhead from the business host in Thailand;
• A copy of the host’s Registration of Trade which states the amount of capital investment which is issued by the Department of Commercial Registration with certification by the Department not more than six months earlier;
• Certified documentation of the payment of taxes by the business host of the past two years.
• Certified approval Letter from the Labor Department by the Department of Consul, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thailand.
• Any documents that prove you are traveling for business purposes;

II. Employment

• Approval from the Alien Occupational Control Division, Department of Employment, Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare.

III. Teaching [ For teaching in private schools at the levels below university level ]

• Passport or travel document with validity of not less than 6 months
• Completed visa application form
• Recent passport-sized photograph (4 x 6 cm) of the applicant taken within the past 6 months.
• Letter of acceptance from employing institute or school in Thailand.
• Letter of approval from government agencies such as the Office of the Private Education Commission, the Office of the Basic Education Commission.
• Evidence of educational qualification such as diplomas or teaching certificates.
• School license or business registration, list of shareholders and school profile.
• Applicant’s resume.
• Police certificate verifying that applicant has no criminal record or equivalents or letter issued by authorised agencies in applicant’s country. (The requirement of the submission of such police certificate is optional. The applicant must submit it if consular officer requests he/she to do so. This requirement is effective as from May 2007)

IV. Research

• The original invitation letter from the institution concerned.
• The approval from the Ministry or the Government University concerned;

V.Religious purposes

• approval from the Religious Affairs Department of the Ministry of Education. (When the applicant is approved by the Religious Affairs Department of the Ministry of Education, the religious institution would then send the approval document to the applicant and to Consulate for consideration in issuing the visa.)

VI.Visiting family

• To visit as a spouse of a Thai national
  • a valid and effective marriage certificate (original)
  • a certified copy of the Thai national’s passport/ I.D. card of the spouse.
  • a certified letter from the Thai spouse stating that he or she is still married to the applicant.
  • Fianc้s or fianc้es are not included in this category
• To visit as a relative of a Thai national
  • documents proving such relationship.

VII. Retirement in Thailand, the applicant must be at least 50 years old and must submit documents as follows :

• documentation showing proof of retirement
• bank statement or monthly/year income.
• a copy of the applicant’s criminal record from the local police department
• a certificate of health.

*These documents must be certified by a Notary Public and certify true signature of the notary public by the Secretary of State.

VIII.Studying

• For studying in private schools or private colleges.
  • Approval from the Ministry of Education or the Ministry of University Affairs (When the applicant has been approved by the above-mentioned offices, the school or college would then send the approval document to the applicant and to the Consulate for consideration in issuing the visa.)
• For studying at a government school or government university
  • Approval from the Ministry of Education/Ministry of University Affairs or the University’s administration. (When the applicant is approved by the Ministry of Education / Ministry of University Affairs or the University’s administration, the school or college will then send the approval document to the applicant and to the Consulate for consideration in issuing the visa.)

For other purposes not listed above, please contact the Visa Section at the Royal Thai Consulate General in Chicago

Non-Immigrant Visas will not be issued for such purposes as tourism, seeking employment opportunities in Thailand, looking for a school for teaching or studying purposes, etc.

For such purposes a 60-day Tourist Visa may be granted which can be extended up to 30 or more days in Thailand through Thai Immigration. For more information on extending visas in Thailand. The holder of any category of visa to the Kingdom of Thailand may apply in Thailand to change to another visa category when you are in Thailand, if you are qualified for that type of visa. The applicant can apply for changing a visa category at the Immigration Bureau Office in Thailand.

LONG TERM VISA

After you have got Non – Immigrant “B” and the Work Permit ,you must apply for long term visa for one year before the expiry date at the Immigration office or One Stop Services Center for visa and Work Permit (Specify Qualification Applicant) or the Visa Center at the Office of Foreign Workers Administration,The Immigration officer will first extend your visa only 30 days for considering. At least 3 working days before the visa extension expires, you have to go to Immigration office again and check your status. The officer will probably stamp your visa more 30 days extension if during waiting consideration, until you will get the one year extension visa.

++ In case of you get one year extension visa to stay, you must notify the Immigration Bureau every 90 days, or just before 90 days.

++ Be sure that you should not travel out the country without Re-Entry Permit because if a re – entry permit is not applied for, the visa will automatically be cancelled at departure, although it may not have expired yet.

RETIREMENT VISA

Retirement visa is a good visa for the person who are over 50 years of age and would like to stay in Thailand with – out Work Permit . But the important thing is you must have cash in Thai Bank not less than 800,000 Baht. And after you prepare your documents, you can apply for this visa at Immigration Office. The immigration officer will consider and give you a one year extension to stay in Thailand.

NON – IMMIGRANT VISA (B)

Non-immigrant visa (Business Visa ) is a visa for who wish to work in Thailand ,This visa can apply for work permit .In case of you want to get Non-Immigrant visa (Visa B), you have 3 Alternatives to do this ;

1. Getting Non – Immigrant visa outside the country. To get a Non -Immigrant visa, you need a letter of recommendation (Non – B Letter) and registration documents which certified by the authorized person with the company seal from the company you are going to work for, you can submit an application for a Non – immigrant “B” visa at the Thai Consulates outside Thailand or Thai Embassy in your home country . Your best choice is a Multiple Entry Visa , it is not good if you plan to apply for Work Permit immediately after getting the Non – immigrant visa. Single Entry Visa is good for you to do this.

2. In case of your have not yet entered Thailand and the company in Thailand wishes to employ you .The employer is personable to apply for Work Permit for you, then your employer sends you the letter of confirming the successful application (you should come to Thailand and submit Work Permit within 30 days after receiving this letter ) and some documents for applying the visa Non – immigrant “B” at the Thai Consulates or Thai Embassy at your home country.
3. foreigner prepare personal and company documents with original to submit in support of the application for visa or visa status alteration at the Thailand immigration office.But the application must be submit at least 21 days before visa expiration .The Overstayingcould not be submitted.

RE – ENTRY PERMIT

In case you wishes to travel aboard before your visa expires, you must apply for a re – entry permit . A re – entry permit allows you to re – entry the Kingdom and use the time remaining on your visa. You can apply it at The International Airport or at Thai Immigration .There are 2 options are available ;

1. Single Re – Entry Permit means that you must apply this form every time when you leave, and you should apply when you have a short time extension.

2. Multiple Re – Entry Permit means that you apply for leaving only one time but you can leave many times within 12 months. You should apply for Multiple Re – Entry Permit if you always travel out the country or when you receive one year extension.

On your return to Thailand, don’t forget to note the Re-Entry Permit number on your Immigration arrival card(TM – card) and check that you are stamped in correctly.

Holders of Multiple Non-immigrant visas do not need re – entry permit, as they will get a new 90 days to get entry stamp on arrival. You only need re – entry permit if you have a short or long time extension that you want to keep.

If a re – entry permit is not applied for, the visa will automatically be cancelled at departure, although it may not have expired yet.